Every child in the United States, as well as every new US citizen, knows â€śThe Pledge of Allegiance,â€ť written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy: â€śI pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.â€ť

In 1942, the United States Congress officially recognized the following declaration: â€śI pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.â€ť

As you can see, no mention of any God was present in either version.

The Knights of Columbus is a worldwide Catholic organization organized in 1882 as a fraternal benefit society dedicated to providing charitable services. It borrowed many things from Freemasonry, including initiations, degrees, an oath, a restriction to men, etc. Like Freemasonry, they had three degrees and later added a fourth one. Even with its activity focused on philanthropy, the KOC has also had, from its inception, a strong political influence.

It is not surprising to discover that this organization lobbied the U.S. Congress for three years to add â€śGodâ€ť to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law, saying: â€śFrom this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.â€ť The text of the pledge became: â€śâ€¦one nation, under God,â€¦â€ť

But is the nation really under God?

In my book Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons I talked about the Capitol in Washington DC, calling this building the â€śTemple of Gods.â€ť Following the text of a Roman architect, the Capitol was built at the east end of the Mall, and the building is perfectly aligned to the four directions. Standing at the center of the rotunda, you will be amazed to discover symbolism very far from the ideology of the Knights of Columbus: four arches open to the four directions; the astrological symbol of the sun on the floor at the center of the rotunda; the crypt under the rotunda; and, directly above the sun symbol, a golden metallic sun composed of a major rays and sixteen smaller one, surrounded by eight large tiles assembled in circle.

If we come back to the level of the rotunda we will again find the important number eight, with eight large paintings representing eight symbolic steps of American history.

So, if we stand at the center of this sun, are we â€śunder God?â€ť

To find the answer, just raise your head and you will discover Constantino Brumidiâ€™s realization called the Apotheosis of Washington. This painting depicts Georges Washington as Zeus between the representations of Liberty and Victory. He is surrounded by five Greek divinities: Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Demeter (Freedom is symbolically associated to Ares). Astrologers will be interested to find the hermetic correspondences of these divinities (Aries, Pisces, Cancer, Libra, and Virgo). These divine representations can be seen as the real protectors of the city and the country. Above all, at the top of the building, the statue of Freedom faces the East and the sunrise, attracting the divine power of the Light.

Keeping all this powerful symbolism in mind, maybe â€śunder Godsâ€ť could have been more appropriate addition to the Pledge of Allegiance!